Middle Eastern Spiced Whole Roasted Cauliflower

Middle Eastern Spiced Whole Roasted Cauliflower! Smothered with a vegan yogurt sauce of Shawarma and curry, this is not your typical cauliflower dish.

Where are my cauliflower/spice lovers? There you are. Heyyyyy. Come on over, have a seat, and dig in to this gorgeous Brassica oleracea. Yes, I did just go there, because sometimes you just need to try and act like a fancy pants. 😉

But seriously, you’re going to love us for creating this roasted cauliflower recipe with a Shawarma spice blend and a bit of curry added for good measure. It’s pretty freaking delicious and we made enough of the Middle Eastern spice blend yogurt sauce (I’m obsessed) for dipping. You’re welcome.

Have you ever roasted a whole cauliflower? If you have, you know how gorgeous the presentation is when you pull that beautiful veggie out of the oven, all browned and pretty. You also know that it’s one of the easiest ways to roast cauliflower because you literally prepare it, pop it in the oven, and let it cook for an hour or so. While it’s doing its thing, you can do yours. Whatever that may be.

Let’s do this!

HOW TO MAKE WHOLE ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH MIDDLE EASTERN YOGURT SAUCE

You guys, this couldn’t be easier. When you serve it to your friends they’re going to think that you slaved away all day in a hot kitchen. Lol! Go ahead and let them think that.

First – Sauté a finely diced onion and minced garlic in some quality extra-virgin olive oil.

Second – Whisk the Shawarma spice blend, curry, and salt and pepper in the plain vegan yogurt (we love Kite Hill brand) until completely blended, then stir in the onion and garlic.

Third – Trim the leaves off of the cauliflower and cut the stem so it’s flush with the bottom. You want it to sit flat in the pan.

Fourth – Brush a thick layer of the Shawarma yogurt sauce all over the cauliflower.

Fifth – Roast the cauliflower for approximately one hour (turn the pan at 30 minutes to ensure an even roast), or until golden brown and fork tender.

That’s it. Five easy steps is all it takes to make this delicious and oh so beautiful whole roasted cauliflower with yogurt sauce.

Let’s talk about that sauce. It’s SO GOOD! I piled a lot on my plate and dipped every bite of cauliflower into it. I also made a batch of my easy No Yeast Vegan Garlic Flatbread, which is very much like naan, and dipped that in sauce too. The Shawarma spice blend is so exotic and savory. The blend that I bought has a mix of cinnamon, allspice, cumin, ginger, and turmeric, it’s warm, earthy, savory, and amazing.

The tanginess of the yogurt, combined with the spices, onion and garlic, and curry lights up the cauliflower like the moon lights the night sky. Corny? Maybe, but it’s true. You can use a typical white cauliflower, or, you can buy a golden cauliflower like I did. The sauce will look beige when you brush it on, but it turns a beautiful golden brown while it roasts, so when you cut it open it appears that the sauce soaked in to the center. It’s so pretty.

If you want to make the roasted whole cauliflower a meal, make our flatbread and our Crispy Oven Fried Falafel, with a big side of the spiced yogurt sauce for dipping. It’s an easy weeknight meal and a fun and delicious way to finish the day. The roasted cauliflower would also make a festive addition to your holiday table.

Make it and let me know what you think. I love to hear from you!

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Heat 1 tbsp (15 ml) of the oil in a medium cast-iron skillet or sauté pan on medium heat and add the onion. Stir and cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid scorching. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt, the remaining tsp of olive oil, Shawarma spice blend, curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste together until well combined. Stir in the onion and garlic mixture until evenly distributed throughout the sauce.

Trim the leaves off of the cauliflower and cut the stem flush with the bottom so it sits flat. Put the cauliflower in an oven safe pan and brush a thick layer of the sauce over the entire cauliflower. Roast, stem side down, for approximately 1 hour (depending on your oven, you may have to roast up to 2 hours until it's fork tender. If that's the case, cover with foil at 75 minutes to prevent burning the top), or until it’s fork tender and golden brown. Turn the pan once halfway through cooking so it roasts evenly.

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I love the idea of sticking it in the oven and walking away! Because you know I have a billion and one things to do...I'm not a huge curry fan, but I bet this would be great with so many spice combos! YUM!

I tried this recipe, followed all directions exactly. While the cauliflower was tasty it was still hard in the middle after 1hr 20 min. Also there was no seasoning in the middle, the cauliflower was still white. Only the outside had the shawrma paste. Don't know what I may have done wrong. Did it need to sit after brushing with sauce? Directions didn't say so.Disappointed!

Hi Janet, I'm so sorry that your cauliflower didn't cook through. I made this recipe three times before sharing it and the cauliflower was fork tender through the middle at an hour. I let it roast longer during one test run and it was too soft. All ovens are calibrated differently and it's possible that yours heats lower than mine does. If that's the case, you may have to roast if for longer than an hour and twenty minutes, and possibly cook it at a higher temperature. Just a thought as I don't know for sure that that was the issue.
The seasoning doesn't soak into the center, it's only on the exterior of the cauliflower. That's why I wrote the sauce recipe so you'd have extra for dipping or spreading on each piece of cauliflower. As I wrote in the content of the post, I bought a yellow cauliflower, hence the pretty yellow color in the center. Having said that, the color of the cauliflower wouldn't affect the taste.
I hope this helps. If you try it again I'd love to know how long you had to roast it before it cooked through to the center.
All the best,
Linda

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